University of Bolton, Deane Road, Bolton. BL3 5AB
“At the University of Bolton, we take great pride in providing a quality, supportive learning environment for our students.”
Professor George E Holmes DL | President & Vice Chancellor
“...tutors are very supportive and you’re not just a student ID number, at this university you are an individual with a name.”
Ellisse Vernon | BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing
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University of Bolton, why we are the right choice
Location - Bolton, Greater Manchester
The University of Bolton’s BA (Hons) Crime and Criminal Justice degree investigates the approaches applied to crime, deviance and victimisation. Our industry experienced academic staff will support you to develop core skills in working with offenders, crime intelligence, investigation and interviewing, crime scene management, preparing for court and presenting a case profile.
Award:
BA (Hons)
Mode of Study:
Part-time
Duration:
4.5 years
Location:
University of Bolton
UCAS points:
112
UCAS code:
L300
Start date:
27/01/2025
Crime is evolving. New technologies and more complex societal pressures are leading to new criminal activities. Our BA (Hons) Crime and Criminal Justice degree is designed to educate future criminal justice professionals. We offer you the deep understanding of the causes of crime, criminal behaviour and how to combat crime that are needed for a career safeguarding the public, supporting victims, protecting the vulnerable, and helping to rehabilitate offenders.
We’ll guide you as you investigate the individual, social, legal and political forces that shape both crime and how it is controlled, as well as the interrelationships between research, theory, policy and practice in criminal justice. Areas such as criminal investigation, multi-agency working, ethics and diversity, the penal system, mental health, human rights, social justice, restorative justice, community safety, poverty, and safeguarding people at risk will be addressed, along with specific crimes such as human trafficking, modern slavery, gender and domestic violence, hate crime and terrorism, youth crime, illegal drug use and anti-social behaviour.
Our academic staff come from a diverse range of professional criminal justice backgrounds. They will encourage and support you to develop the practical skills, academic knowledge, and personal qualities (such as grit and resilience) needed to succeed in this dynamic sector.
Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.
Whether you are new to the field or have many years’ experience of working in the criminal justice sector, this fascinating degree offers you a wide ranging, yet detailed, view of crime and criminal justice in preparation for a career in this demanding yet rewarding sector.
On successful completion of this course you’ll have an in-depth theoretical and applied knowledge and understanding of crime and its consequences, an extensive knowledge of the criminal justice system, and a keen understanding of contemporary social issues and problems. You’ll also have a valuable range of skills and competencies specific to practice in the criminal justice sector, along with transferable skills that are attractive to employers in any sector. These include the ability to present and develop a cohesive argument, IT skills, research and problem-solving skills, communication skills and team-working skills.
We’ll encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. Professional development planning is an essential part of the course, and we’ll help you to explore potential career paths through discussion and one-to-one meetings with staff. We’ll also organise presentations from a host of different crime and criminal justice organisations, who will explain the services they provide, the careers available in their sector, and how you may be able to help them and gain valuable experience and knowledge by volunteering with their organisation.
Exploring the workings of criminal justice agencies, like the police, courts, prisons and probation service, as well as the wider roles in offender management and crime prevention being taken over by private companies and voluntary groups, will likely help you identify and focus on potential career paths. Undertaking relevant practical voluntary experience can help confirm your career choice, build your skills and enhance your employability.
Our BA (Hons) Crime and Criminal Justice course has been designed to meet the needs of the criminal justice sector, which includes a wide range of public, private and not-for-profit organisations that provide crime prevention, victim support, and offender management and rehabilitation services.
As a graduate, you’ll be prepared to work for a variety of criminal justice organisations, such as the Police Service, Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, British Transport Police, related private sector providers such as Serco and G4S, and for charities working in areas such as victim support. You may also be attracted to roles offered by security and intelligence agencies such as the Ministry of Defence, the UK Border Force, and Immigration Enforcement, or seek employment in related fields such as Trading Standards and HM Revenue and Customs.
Graduates may move on to postgraduate or professional study, such as a Master’s degree in Social Work, a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) if you wish to work as a teacher, or the LLM Common Professional Examination if you are interested in becoming a lawyer.
Graduates can also use the qualification as a stepping stone to enter a range of other careers, and for some of these roles, both relevant experience and/or postgraduate study may be required. Some of these roles include:
Home students starting this course in the first year will be required to pay a Home fee of £6,000 for the academic year 2024/25.
Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2025-2026 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.
The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.
For 2025-2026 entry, the maximum government approved undergraduate tuition fee for UK students is £9,250 per year. The University is able to charge this fee subject to an approved Access and Participation Plan for 2025-2026 and its current rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.
For details of how to apply for this course, please choose your status from the options below:
You may apply directly to the University using the University's online application form. Please select your chosen start date from the list below:
You should have to hand:
Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
Details of any employment history including name, address, dates and role
Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
Details including e-mail addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference
Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.
Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already input.
If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions-team@bolton.ac.uk
Apply online: University of Bolton BA (Hons) Crime and Criminal Justice - 27 January 2025
As an international student you are not allowed to study this course because of the restrictions on your visa.
We offer a wide range of full-time courses in lots of different subjects, many of our courses start in September and January. If you would like to see what courses are available please visit our Course Search.
For valued members of the University of Bolton Group and progressing students, we try to make our application process as simple and as fast as possible.
By selecting the link for your chosen course from the list shown below, you will be taken directly to our online application form. Please read the user guidance before completing this, and ensure you upload all supporting documents such as certificates and your personal statement when you apply.
When you are asked to add a contact email address, please ensure you add your college/university email account address as well as your personal address. If you do not add your college address as your contact address, we will be unable to identify you as a partner and offer you the benefits of being part of our group.
If you are ready to apply directly, please select your chosen start date from the list below.
Before applying, please read the entry requirements section of this page.
If your course runs at multiple locations or has various start dates, please be sure to select the correct application link from the list below.
Before beginning your application, you should have the following information to hand:
Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
Details of any employment history, including name, address, dates and role
Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
Details including email addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference
Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.
Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already inputted.
If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Undergraduate Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions-team@bolton.ac.uk
Apply online: University of Bolton BA (Hons) Crime and Criminal Justice - 27 January 2025
We look forward to receiving your application and you continuing your academic journey with us!
The School of Law at the University of Bolton is led by professionally qualified and specialist staff with a wide range of experience in practice, teaching and research. Teaching and learning on our BA (Hons) Crime and Criminal Justice course is supported by a variety of methods. You can expect lectures, seminars, workshops, practical role play and direct study.
In the majority of modules, formal lectures are used to introduce a topic, with follow-up small group seminars where you’re encouraged to explore this knowledge in greater depth. We’ll offer additional tutorials, ensuring you have space to ask questions or seek individual help. Independent learning is essential for the course and you should spend much of your time reading around and researching the topics covered in your modules.
We’ll also offer you chances to hear guest speakers from local criminal institutions and visit criminal justice agencies. Moreover, you’ll be strongly encouraged to undertake voluntary activities that support your studies and give you opportunities to gain first-hand experience and practical skills in criminal justice environments.
In terms of assessment, we aim to provide creative ways for you to demonstrate your theoretical and practical knowledge. You can expect assessments to involve exams, report writing, essays, demonstrations, and presenting evidence and practical forensic crime scene role play using appropriate technology and environments (including police crime scenes and specialist court mock-ups). Some assessments will contribute to your final module mark and allow you to demonstrate that you’ve met the learning outcomes, while others are designed to help you identify areas that need extra attention on your part, or where you need extra support from your tutors.
The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.
Level | Assesment method |
---|---|
Level one | Coursework 90%, Practical exams 10% |
Level two | Coursework 86%, Practical exams 14% |
Level three | Coursework 100% |
Level | Learning activity |
---|---|
Level one | Guided independent study 67%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 33% |
Level two | Guided independent study 72%, Placement/study abroad 9%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 19% |
Level three | Guided independent study 83%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 17% |
Disclaimer
The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.
W.Bateman@bolton.ac.uk
+44 (0)1204 903679
enquiries@bolton.ac.uk
+44 (0)1204 903903
University of Bolton
University of Bolton
University of Bolton